The Final Days of Firefoxania (IC)

[Langong]

~~deleted~~

[Polska Rzeczpospolita Robotnicza]

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45th Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment
Within Vaven airspace, 6000m altitude
Over Vaven City

OPERATION GROM 22
14/10/22
0403

The epitaph of Vaven City was being written within the view of the pilots of the 45th; a testament of inferno and armageddon, sweeping away the rotten hovel of what was formerly supposed to have been the capital of the Firefoxanian state. Little more than ash remained where structures had once stood, burned out framed of rebar and concrete lined the streets and extended as far as one on the ground could see. Truly a level of utter destitution that befitted the decrepit Firefoxanians, but alas the raison d'etre of the 45th was not to be war tourists.

Above the city, Konieczny and his squadron continued on their aligned heading, maintaining their altitude as they steeled their nerves in the final moments before they were called upon to rain down carnage and destruction upon the Royal Palace of Vaven City itself. The central complex of orgies and debauchery would face the full wrath of Polish steel and fire - all would be cleansed with the force of a million hammers striking in righteous fury. In the place of where the palace had stood would be a monument to anti-human hubris, constructed from the ruins of Firefoxanian 'civilization'. Konieczny had no time for his worries now, whatever chance the enemy had to strike their aircraft from the skies had since passed and now the only thing his focus concentrated upon was the structure soon to be within his gunsights.

<<All squadrons engage target. Weapons hot.>>

Konieczny felt his heart slam inside his chest as it began beating harder, the adrenaline pumping through his veins while his arm tilted down the flight stick and his other arm throttled up to afterburner. His instruments showed his airspeed increasing rapidly from 700km/h to over 1000 before he pressed his thumb down on the release button, slamming a torrent of S-5 rockets into the building ahead of him; a stream in an ocean of firepower slung by the other aircraft, now also firing off their weapons into the building ahead of them. Explosions rocked the palace, shattering windows and sending debris flying into the city below as the structure buckled beneath the barrage of punishment. Anti-aircraft guns unnoticed in the streets below due to their lack of radars finally began pumping rounds into the skies above, hopeless to stop the jet aircraft. The lightshow over Vaven had only just begun however, for soon after their rockets had been fired off, the MiG-21s began to spray their GSh-23-2s into the crippled structure below them, stopping only as the first of the MiGs began to climb back into higher altitudes.

With the barrage coming to an end, Konieczny tugged his flight stick back, pulling considerable Gs as he felt his entire body being crushed beneath what felt like a thousand boulders coming down upon him. Vision fading away, the only thing Konieczny could do was will his body to level out his climb before he tore himself and his aircraft apart; every ounce of his strength urged his brain to fire off the commands needed to return his arm forwards and correct his angle of attack. With every effort, the stick was finally returned back to a neutral position, returning Konieczny's vision back to normal as he found himself in position with his squadron once more. Below him was a fireball of burning material and crumbling structure, the remains of the once grandiose palace of Vaven. Flashes of light shined out below him as gunfire poured from the streets below, tracers zipping ineffectually into the air as their intended targets were always far past any aiming lead. The MiGs had exhausted their ammunition striking this target and the surrounding area, rocket pods depleted and 23mm ammunition stowage running dangerously low.

<<All squadrons RTB, dump tanks and maintain 6000.>>

The Pulkownik's voice surged through the headsets of the pilots after what had felt like an eternity, and at last the pilots knew their tasks were over. Popping flares instinctually as they disengaged their afterburners, the aircraft turned back on the opposite heading that they had come in on, soaring away from Vaven just as quickly as they had come in. Dropping their now depleted tanks from their aircraft, the 45th began its 300km journey back to the airbase. 600km of flight in total was a significant distance for a MiG-21, but alas without an airbase in closer proximity, there was no chance of decreasing total flight time. The Poles hoped that this strike would disrupt the command hierarchy of Firefoxanian forces significantly enough to allow CHALICE to isolate and exterminate enemy forces without organized retaliation. Weakening the Firefoxanians would draw the Children of Athena into an offensive, where they would both slaughter one another and allow CHALICE to pick off the survivors of both sides to finally end the threat once and for all.

Konieczny peered out of his canopy and over the terrain below, watching as the land passed beneath him. He sighed and thought to himself - another day in the airforce. All he knew he wanted now was a drink, after all it's not every day that one gets delivered to an airbase through some unknowable tomfoolery and then told to bomb a city filled with inhuman monsters. But he knew he couldn't be privy to such a luxury, after all, it wouldn't be long before he'd have to do it all again.

[Firefoxania]

At the crash site...

"F##K! CONTACT! CONTA-"
The sergeant of the platoon was hit in the shin, causing him to scream. The rest of the platoon split, avoiding bullets while trying to fire back. As almost half of the platoon was riddled with bullets, the platoon cowardly fled.

At the wall of the Eastern Stretch...

The rebels entrenched in the wall were completely decimated by the Qing Forces, causing the wall to crumble apart slowly, bit by bit.

Western Vaven...

Continuous bombing and shelling caused Western Vaven to fall into a complete anarchy zone. Western Vaven has seen the most of the deaths so far, both Capital Guard, CoA, and civilian.

Central Vaven...

"THIS HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH, AURORA!" screamed a very pissed military general, slamming his fists on her desk in rage. "Half of Vaven is completely eradicated! Call it off! Call it a truce! Ca-
Before he could finished, he was dragged away by several Capital Guardsmen.
"You're making a big mistake! BIG MISTA-" The metal doors of the capital chamber slammed, leaving a droneing echo in the room. The Empress sighed, covering her head with her paws.
.
.
.
"What have I done..."

[Ignis States]

Crash Site of Squad Delta.

Round after round wizzes in SLG Fisher's direction, either bouncing off the pod or bouncing off his armor's shields. Slowly, he ceases to use the cover entirely. Though when he stands up, beam after beam firing from his rifle...
"What the fuck are we doing?" With a simple neural impulse, his comms turn on.

"Centurion, our enemy is demoralized, using weaponry that can't even go through our shields, and actively retreating. I don't know if we should keep firing on them!"

"Fisher, this is your job. Cataphracts kill the enemy before the legionaries take their stuff. Don't they teach this shit in Cataphract Recruit Training still?" To that, Fisher has no response.
Solemnly, he focuses his weapon on a retreating soldier in the platoon...and pulls the trigger.

Western Vaven, the outskirts of Central Vaven.
10th Armored Cohort advances through a break in the frontlines after a vicious bombardment campaign against the armed resistance they encountered; At this stage, they're only a few miles from the capital.
Behind a line of soldiers in very large and bulky power armor, meant to act similarly to tanks on the battlefield, is an Ignisian with predominantly white fur, a smattering of darker fur around his eyes and the front of his snout, and the back of his ears. At around 6'7, Prefect Tiuvruz Fvaezri doesn't look much different from the rest of his men, save for the peaked cap and singular golden bar on each of his collar points.

His comms system activates long enough for him to send out a very brief message: "All cataphracts, cease advancing! Await further orders!"
His comms system then shifts, the frequency linking up with the Cohort Chief of Communications. Senior Technical Prefect Suzashi immediately answers as soon as he gets the call.

"Yes, sir?"

"Try and interface with whatever communications system they're using at the capital of this...Firefoxania? It may be outdated, but if I've known yellowbloods-"

"Hey, not all of us are computer geeks, fox-face." Fvaezri grins.

"Fuck you, mutt." For a few seconds, their communications devolve into hearty laughter, with a few of the men near their Prefect looking at him funny.

"Aaaaah, shit. Back on topic, back on topic...You're the...light spectrum type of yellowblood, right?"

"Affirmative."

"If they use radio frequencies, you can communicate with them, right?"

"Yessir."

"Perfect! Establish that connection and see if you can broadcast my message!"


Central Vaven
Assuming the palace still has functioning radio or communications equipment, a message is patched through. The message, though the audio quality starts out as fuzzy, eventually becomes properly listenable.

"This....Prefect Tiuvruz Fvaezri of the Armored Legion of the Republic of Rumei! I'm requesting that you allow my forces into the capital. Our intelligence suggests that you're undergoing some sort of crisis of the demonic variety, threatening civilians as well as soldiers. Our goal is to defeat you military, not to wipe out your nation outright. As soon as we eliminate the demonic threat, we will not hold your capital. Our goal isn't conquest! Believe me, you want us to reach your capital first instead of our allies."

Beyond the Atmosphere...
"Ma'am, are you certain?" A half-human, half-Motvesan sits at the console of the Europa's orbital bombardment cannons. Within one of his feline ears, a communication chip gives him a response.

"The Stratarches made his orders very clear. If they are not CHALICE, they're our targets. Even if they aren't Firefoxania." Specialized Legionary Jeunal looks at his weapons console for a few seconds...
Before, with a sigh, he presses the button.

Eastern Front
The skies above the frontline begin to flash with bright scarlet light...and for a moment, nothing.
But then the light begins to get closer and closer. In an instant, blasts of high-energy photons, infused with a little bit of Light magic, smash straight into the Qing Joint Forces. The explosions are powerful, each blast producing an explosion worth 5 kilotons of TNT.

Another volley of around eight orbital blasts smashes into the frontlines again...and again, and again! The blasts don't just focus on singular areas; Each one is spread out over the east, though they're generally targeting areas where soldiers happen to be.

NLS Europa

"First volley, ma'am! Checking for survivors!" Jeunal then stares at the console some more....There shouldn't be many survivors.

[Firefoxania]

Eastern Front:

The remaining rebel and Qing forces were completely reduced to atoms. All that remains are smoking craters surrounding what used to be the Eastern Stretch, deemed the Eastern Vaven Crater Zone, or the EVCZ.

Central Vaven:

Aurora allowed some of the allied forces into the capital building. She continued sitting there with her hands hiding her distraught face.

[Ignis States]

Central Vaven

As soon as the 10th Armored Cohort is allowed to advance into the capital, they immediately go to work; All demons they see are immediately met with the harsh, searing blasts of almost a thousand Mizlrvekiza rifles.
The heavily armored soldiers aim their massive gauntlets towards the enemy...and massive, explosive blasts of concentrated Light magic and high-energy photons smash into demon after demon.

Prefect Fvaezri advances through the city with his Mizlrvekiza in hand, alongside a combat knife that radiates with an ice-cold aura. Any demons he meets are immediately blasted with the Mizlrvekiza, which blows them into frozen chunks of dust.
As he walks through, someone messages him over comms. When he checks it...Lieutenant Sitiruz!?

"Sir!?"

"What the fuck are you doing, Prefect!? The Stratarches told us to massacre anyone who wasn't a member of CHALICE!"

"Sir, this is inhumane! They aren't even fighting back anymore!"

"Inhumane!? What's inhumane is the treatment we'll get from Lord Tuzul if we don't do this! You know how he treats insubordination!"

An unfamiliar crackling suddenly pierces through the comms; Both men flinch and recoil as soon as they register it. For several seconds, it persists...but then it ends.

"And how do I treat it?"

NLS Europa

"L-Lord, we weren't expecting you to show up here!" Upper Prefect Fletcher and Lower Prefect Chang'e stare with utter, petrified fear at the figure standing in the bridge of the ship.
Outwardly, he just looks like a normal Ignisian; 6'4" with rich crimson fur, a white tip to his tail, and hair tied back in a ponytail. Neatly maintained, he'd just look like a particularly fit Ignisian.
But it's the look in his orange-yellow eyes that separate him; Utter, vicious wrath burns in his irises and slit pupils. Adorning his body is a full dress uniform, black and grey with a shoulder mounted blood red cape. On his sleeves are blood-red insignia depicting a double-edged, triple bladed spear, the center of which is adorned with a golden serpent that's crossed by twin batons.

On his shoulders, right where the cape connects to his outfit, are pure gold shoulder boards; Mounted on them are fanged, golden draconic heads, each one surrounded by four silver stars.

Stratarch (or Field Marshal) Aelkzytr Tuzul simply smiles; His subordinates practically freeze.

"It's a war I wanted. Why wouldn't I show up?" He walks over to the bridge consoles to look at the view of the ground. As soon as he sees the state of the capital...
"You'd think my soldiers wouldn't be so soft. But you know what? I'm feeling a little bit generous...If some butterbar wants to try and talk to the enemy..."
His entire body radiates a powerful aura of swirling yellow fire; His grin through the inferno looks practically demonic.

"Allow me." He merges with the flames...and vanishes.


Capital Building
In the capital building, the air suddenly grows warmer and warmer...until flames emerge from nowhere! They promptly swirl into a humanoid shape...or rather, a vulpine shape.
Aelkzytr emerges in his full dress uniform, this time with a laurel wreath of pure orange citrine adorning his head.
"Stratarch Tuzul, Commander of Rumei's Ground Forces. I'm here to talk to whoever's the sovereign of this..." He pauses. For a moment, his polite smile twists into a sneer.

"Of this respectable nation. I am more than willing to withdraw my forces and cease all hostilities!"

[Elysian Treaty Organization]

B(M)-87, Somewhere over Firefoxania

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.

Calling it utter and complete overkill would have been an understatement. Two squadrons of angular bombers sat in the hangar of the ETS Skrimisher, ground crews working around the clock to ensure that the bombers would be at full readiness for the upcoming mission - the firebombing of Vaven. Klaxons sounded as the pilots of the 88th and 33rd CAW ran to their planes, clutching authorization keys for the upcoming mission. The 40 bombers came to life as pilots booted up the four TF/122 fusion engines powering the aircraft, the engines roaring to life - preparing to push the planes forward at a blistering Mach 20. Each bomber had been equipped with an excessive bomb load, the internal hardpoints of each bomber occupied by 70 500 pound bombs or a mixture of active decoys. Complementing this were two external hardpoints, filled to the brim with incendiary and white phosphorus munitions.

A poor marshaller had to wave 40 aircraft out of the hangar with two red lights, almost causing a collision of two bombers. The bombers roared to life, the 4 fusion engines glowing a healthy hue of blue as they propelled the aircraft forward and out of the hangar. Collision lights turned on as the aircraft attempted to navigate in the dark night, eventually organizing themselves into a wedge. Eight fighters joined them, the fighters providing top-cover and ensuring that no enemy aircraft could even touch the bombers. Ablative heat-shields glowed red-hot as they attempted to stem the pure heat that was building up on each aircraft - the result of constant mach 20 speeds. Two squadrons and one attached fighter detachment made a break for sub-atmospheric orbit, attempting to shield themselves from long-range air defense. This would render them undetectable to enemy flak installations until the last second, where they would wheel down and start bombing runs.

It was a 10000 miles to Vaven. A 10000 miles to purge that corrupt and evil government from the pages of history, and a lesson to any nation that dared violate the rights of man and sapient life. Jingostic fervor consumed many of the pilots, the pilots feeling that they would be the final reckoning of the oppressors, and the voice of the oppressed. As demons rampaged in Vaven, the city will be subjected to another test.

Despite this, some pilots could have sworn that they saw a single angel - dazzling in its glory, blow a single trumpet.

[Langong]

~~deleted~~

[Firefoxania]

Capital Building

"Oh my!" Aurora was shocked by this fiery figure. "Y-You really shouldn't pull out your forces just yet... We still have some incursion to deal with."

[Elysian Treaty Organization]

MESSAGE START

EXECUTE OPERATION RAFAEL

MESSAGE END

Calling it horrifying would be a understatement. Vaven glistened in the night as fires raged throughout the city, the result of the week-long war that had hit the nation.

Alas, it was to be razed to the ground by 2 wings of sub-orbital bombers. The pilots of the 88th and 33rd Combat Air Wing nervously watched their RWRs, waiting for the first of many missiles to strike them down. It was habit; the bomber crews were trained for Orbital Combat where ships defended themselves with horrifically fast missiles, giving the bombers a split second of warning before they would be swatted out of space. Other instruments glistened in the cockpits, the bombers being equipped with a variety of equipment for their mission.

At a range of 200 miles, the first active jammers detached from the variety of bombers. Over 15 "Muter" jammers lanced into the sky, sprinting towards the city with a vengeance. The Muters were simple machines, consisting of a radio jammer and retroreflectors to fill any enemy radar lenses with utter and complete junk, and hamper response efforts to the carpet-bombing. It was somewhat cruel, ensuring that Emergency services would be unable to respond to the carpet bombing and hampering any civil defense efforts. This was total war, something that the Bombardiers hoped that they would never wage again. Anything that could even benefit the enemy was to be targeted, with limited distinction between civilian industry and military industry.

The bombers sped down to a speed of Mach 1, ensuring that they would be able to bomb their targets in a accurate manner. This made them somewhat vulnerable to "primitive" air-defense consisting of high-level SAMs, but still made them invulnerable to flak - they were flying at 400,000 meters in the air, and at a speed much too fast for any human or thing to accurately aim at. Military intelligence and observation had noted a lack of high-level air defense, allowing the bombers to rule the sky with a minimal escort.

The Spirit of Lemay soared through the sky, the herald of destruction speeding by at Mach 1. Captain Erin glanced at the RWR, waiting for it to light up with the signals of a locked radar or incoming missile. It never came - she was getting more tense by the moment, waiting for some IR SHORAD to lock her up and bring the bomber down. The lights of Vaven rapidly approached, and a shrill tone sounded throughout the cockpit - signaling that they had reached their target zone.

The crew jumped into action. Erin opened her console and put in a authorization keyword - REVELATION. She grabbed the authorization key around her neck and looked at a diminutive keyhole - the prelude to a orchestra of utter and complete destruction. "Right, input keys, enable the bombs." Erin yelled, the loud roar of machinery drowning out her voice.

Her crew nodded and got to work, flicking switches and arming weapons. The process was convoluted and complicated for a reason - these bombers had enough ordinance to flatten cities, as demonstrated in a nasty terrorist attack a few decades before. Whilst these steps would be removed for the autonomous bombers, manned bombers still had them.

More alarms filled the cockpit as her console popped up with a number of warnings. She swatted them away with a flick of her hand, and looked at the burning city below her. The other bombers were in the same process, finishing up checks and preparing to release a crescendo of destruction on the poor city of Vaven. The city glistened in the night; she had heard reports that a mad ape had killed hundreds of civilians in a day, and that a demonic portal had spewed out a wave of horror and destruction on the inhabitants.

"HANDS ON KEYS", she yelled. Her hands went to the cold metal keys she had inserted long ago.

A single lased message popped up on her console - and a wave of relief washed over her.

MESSAGE START

ABORT, ABORT, SATURATION BOMBING NOT PERMITTED AT THIS TIME

NEW INTELLIGENCE STATES FRIENDLY FORCES WITHIN VAVEN

ALL BOMBERS ARE TO LOITER AROUND THE CITY - FIGHTERS ARE TO START PRECISION STRIKES

MESSAGE END

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A wing of F/I-36 UAVs rushed by the now loitering bombers - the orders did not apply to them. Fully autonomous and with the ability to make basic tactical decisions, the on-board combat computers started to prioritize target after target. The UAVs accelerated to Mach 5, the red-hot silhouettes glistening in the city. Their orders were clear - a show of force, not destruction of civilian property.

<<TARGET BANK, 10342 TARGETS LOCATED>>

<<FILTERED, 345 "VIABLE" TARGETS>>

The UAVs sped by, spraying off hundreds of flares in a acrobatic air-show meant to intimate. They causally exceeded tens of G's, the supermanuverable aircraft paying no heed to the seemingly impossible deeds they were pulling off. Fusion thrusters glowed a bright hue of blue over the dark city, awakening residents with a racket of noise as the UAVs roared throughout the city, engaging in heavy acrobatic maneuvers and dropping of flares. Two of the UAVs broke off, having chosen a appropriate target - a multitude of Firefoxanian military installations, the ones remaining from the demonic infestation that plagued the city.

Ensuring that their targets did not have any friendlies roaming around, the two fighters released a number of missiletes, the short-ranged chemical missiles glowing a hue of orange as they dove towards their targets like a swarm of angry bees. Loud explosions filled the city as air-raid sirens started up, puffs of flak appearing above the city, adding to the utter and complete cacophony of sounds. The onboard computers on the aircraft were quite offended at the interruption of their destructive airshow, and 4 pumped lasers filled the night sky as the aircraft responded to the flak fire.

The world's most destructive airshow would continue unimpeded.

---

While the UAVs continued on with their clown-like shenanigans, a ship parked in orbit sent a single drop prod to the airfield that had played a key role in the destruction of the Royal Palace. Before this, it faxed and radioed a single message to the 45th Bomber Rgt.

ENCRYPTION: NONE
SUBJ: Elysian Support
TO: PRL, 45th Fighter Bomber Regiment

To whom it may concern,

Please note that Elysian Naval Aircraft are willing to provide support to your long-range operations. 
We are willing to place a single wing of F/I-36 UAVs under your control for the time being. Other assets such as Fast Intercept Frigates can be tasked at request. Logistical aircraft and technicians will also be included. 

We have also noted a significant lack of computing power. As such, we have decided to provide your nation with (4) Vimdows Wista laptops, (8) Strongbooks, (1) ARES-2 Quantum Decryptor, (1) 124 Qubit Quantum Computer. This is also bundled in with multiple combat controllers for the UAVs, which is loaded on 9 Model 4 Datapads.

A specially labeled Vindows Wista laptop has been loaded with images of FiF frigates and a video of F/I-36 UAVs over Vaven, filmed by a bomber crew. Expect delivery of the contents within 60 minutes, via orbital drop pod. They will be delivered to your airbase right next to Taxiway 1A.

A manifest of contents follows. 

(1x) Orange Vindows Wista Laptop
(3x) Vimdows Wista Laptops
(8x) Strongbooks
(1x) ARES-2 Quantum Decryptor
(1x) 124 Qubit Quantum Computer 
(9x) Model 4 Datapads
(10x) USB Drives

Instructions are included. 
For your consideration, ADM. Judah

[Polska Rzeczpospolita Robotnicza]

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45th Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment
Airbase at unknown location
300km from Firefoxanian border

OPERATION GROM 22
14/10/22
0600

MESSAGE ENCODED COPYING PROHIBITED FROM: STRATEGIC AIR FIGHTER CORPS COMMAND TO: 45 FIGHTER-BOMBER AIR REGIMENT COMMAND ALL OPERATIONS SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. CHALICE ASSETS DEPLOYED TO AO - NO NEED FOR FURTHER STRIKES - RISK TOO SIGNIFICANT. CONTINUING TO AWAIT FURTHER ORDERS FROM CHALICE COMMAND. YOU ARE TO REMAIN ON ALERT UNTIL CLEARED FOR FURTHER OPERATIONS. ALL AIRCRAFT MUST BE KEPT IN READY STATE UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS IS NEEDED. FURTHER ORDERS WILL COME FROM ALLIES - 45 AIR REGIMENT IS NOW ATTACHED TO LOCAL CHALICE COMMAND STRUCTURES. END.

The 45th had only recently returned from their sortie when the message finally came through from CHALICE on what their future orders were. Within but a few minutes of bring down their aircraft and preparing them for the next flight, a communique from CHALICE command had come through the radio communication station at the airbase; the message was simple, all operations of the 45th were to be suspended temporarily as CHALICE reassessed their priorities following the Polish initial strike against the city of Vaven. No doubt these actions were machinations of CHALICE allies, as they needed time and room to be able to make use of their own offensive assets. The attack on the royal palace was merely an opening act, a means of signalling the attack to begin on Firefoxanian and Athenan forces across the country.

The mention of risk from CHALICE forces was perhaps the most distressing part of the mention. Poland had not entirely been capable of appraising the variety of forces that the assortment of CHALICE members had, and as such would be completely blind in any future ops when they were resumed. If operations were to resume, then the 45th had better hope that no blue-on-blue would be conducted by whatever forces or entities were deployed in the future.

Konieczny got what he had wanted after all, some time of peace and quiet after the uncertainty that plagued his mind following the last operation, a means of coming to grasp what he had just heard, and a means of further coming to understand how such a target was even chosen - given their utter lack of even basic radar guided SPAAGs. Either way, such a chance to rest was not going to be taken for granted. He knew that soon enough, they would be called upon once more.

---

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45th Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment
Airbase at unknown location
300km from Firefoxanian border

OPERATION GROM 22
19/10/22
2200

The standby order from CHALICE command had been received with much relief by many of the men of the 45th, who had become apprehensive of conducting another operation over Vaven after having heard about the grim picture of the city painted from incoming radio communiques. So far everything had been fairly standard, with the Commanding Officer - Pulkownik Alexandr Witucki - awaiting any further communications from the radio station at the airbase. MiG-21s lay dormant in their hangars as ground crews lazed about, smoking and exchanging frivolities with the pilots as they went about their business, awaiting any future operations. Small scale activity was confined to merely ensuring the continued operation of the base and communications infrastructure. Given the little additional presence at the airbase and lack of auxiliary regiments and radar installations, this effectively amounted to little more than preventing someone from damaging armaments or ensuring the adequacy of the fuel supply. Konieczny and his pilots wasted their time with card games, drinking, and whatever else was the order of the day; and so long as they were still fit to scramble, nobody cared enough to stop them.

Without any warning, the fax machine connected to the radio receiver began printing out a message from an unknown source - identifying the subject of the message as 'Elysian Support'. It was clearly intended for the 45th, as their name appeared as the recipient soon afterwards. The message content included promises of support from 'Elysian Naval Aircraft'; namely of the F/I-36 variety, a type of unmanned air vehicle clearly far in advance of anything the Poles had ever seen. In addition to control over a wing of these aircraft, the Elysians were willing to provide additional computing resources to assist in the operation of and understanding of these aircraft. To be included were high quality 'laptops', which were some kind of computer although of what kind the Poles did not know, 'Strongbooks', a 'Quantum Computer', and a 'Quantum Decryptor'. All of these were supposed to assist the Poles in allowing for better communication and command and control over these UAVs that were being delegated to them.

All of these were to be delivered within but an hour, and sure enough the Poles would be in the possession of technology some one hundred to two hundred years in advance of their own, if not further. The presence of such advanced pieces of scientific advancement would naturally have to be confined entirely to use within CHALICE operations, as their use against Poland's conventional enemies and adoption in the homeland would most likely trigger some kind of chronometric intervention against them.

The men of the 45th were put on standby for an immediate delivery at their airbase, some with dread, others with anticipation of a potential operation in the near future; staying at base for too long had put some of the men into a state of agonizing boredom. Konieczny was part of the former group, operating with CHALICE meant that operations would more than certainly go either without flaw and with total domination of the air, land, and sea -- or with a complete and utter disaster as the eclectic myriad of esoteric and enigmatic forces that CHALICE deployed causing more blue on blue than could possibly ever be recorded.

In preparation for the arrival of the equipment and the future assets, Pulkownik Witucki prepared a response for the Elysians, encoding it as simply as possible over wideband radio frequencies.

Code: Select all

ELYSIAN FLEET. 45 REG COOPERATION AT READY. GRATITUDE EXTENDED - WILL PUT NEW ASSETS TO USE. AWAITING FURTHER ORDERS. OVER.

[Firefoxania]

Central Vaven

The Capital Guard simply looked in awe over the mass of technology they described as "celestial" and "sci-fi worthy." Aurora could feel a sense of dread over herself as the Children brought in backup from mutiple sectors of Southern Vaven through militias and unrest. "This war," she stated, "I feel as if it will never end. Constant unrest, militias rising against me..." She sighed before she continued her speech. "I'm sorry, my wonderful Vulpixians... I should have never have gone down this rou-

CRASH!

???: Ugh! Get a load of this sxxt!

Southern Entrenchment

???: When will she ever learn to just drop the act!? She doesn't care about us!

In a dimly lit room, a Vulpixian sat, holding a throwing knife by the sharp end. On the other side of the room, a shattered TV and a dartboard of Aurora.

Unnamed Recruit: Sir! Sir! There's been some news!
Vorex: Call me Vorex, newbie. What's the SIT-REP?
Recruit: A storm cloud is forming over Central Vaven. We can't identify the source.
Vorex: And why is this important..?

He moved his hand with the knife over to the recruit.

Recruit: U-uhm! It's producing Yellow Lightning!
Vorex: What..?

He quickly sat himself up before standing. Walking out of the fairly large tent, his boots rattled with the sound of metal clanging against the back. He looked upon the horizon to confirm his suspicions.

Vorex: Get a few jeeps ready! We're paying a visit to the Capital...
Recruit: Yes sir!

[Hallownest Eternal]

1-1 /// WE ALL LIFT TOGETHER

-{Eastern Vaven}-

The Rumeian bombardment was not unexpected.
To say it was thoroughly predicted, known, and accounted for would be somewhat of an untruth, as would the consequences of the bombardment, but His Eternal Majesty had foresaw the devastation of Eastern Vaven at the hands of a celestial force. In the hours leading up to the bombardment, The Library had been bringing even more people into itself, the refugee lines fast-tracked to get as many people either sheltered or outright through The Gate as possible. The building itself was reinforced with protective Seals, giving it a faint, gossamer-white outline.

When the beams of light fell from the Heavens, the Library stood strong. The shockwaves rebounded off of it, creating flares of defensive magic that instrumentation sensitive to the arcane could detect from orbit. As the blast waves faded, the King's Clergy sprung to action, enlisting further manpower from the refugees encamped in the Library and the buildings surrounding it as they began to methodically carve paths outwards through the detritus, forming search and rescue parties to locate, excavate/evacuate, and heal victims of the bombardment.

More varied types of Bugs began to transit through the Gate. Large, small, round and thin. All shapes and sizes, carrying construction materials and tools as they began to build around the Library, creating large, albeit ramshackle, shelters for the injured to take refuge in. One, however, was...different. Instead of aiding in the ongoing relief effort, the towering insectoid seemed to vanish from view, although previous witnesses had stated it seemed to be headed for Central Vaven, where the Hellgate stood.

-{Central Vaven, ???}-

Amidst the ravening sea of Outsiders, a figure strode unnoticed. The flow of horrors pouring from the portal routed around them subconsciously, as though despite an inability to sense them, their bodies automatically course-corrected. Pausing some distance short of the Hellgate, they raised their hand, primeval forces beginning to enter motion as their Power manifested itself.

To those on the other end of the Hellgate, they saw the energies sustaining its connection to the outside world...flicker. Its topology shifted, unstable, bisecting an unfortunate Outsider before settling. At first seeming a fluke, it occurred again. And again. It seemed that whoever was outside was...attempting to close the Gate from the Mortal Plane. But there was no magic to be found. Such a massive working would surely require immense quantities of energy, but where one would find Spellcraft to rival an army, there was...

Nothing.

Whatever force was at work was virtually undetectable beyond its effects. There was no conflagration of energies one would associate with a powerful mage, and certainly no one had strode through the Gate. But, slowly, nightmarishly, whatever Force was at work continued to tear away at the Mortal-Planar Gate, Its topology continuing to destabilize as the borders between its threshold and reality continued to blur and merge, until in a final implosion, collapsing, the Hellside Gate powering down as its ancient Magicks returned to dormancy.

On the other side of the Hellgate, the Rumeian warriors battling the Outsiders would notice something strange, the Horde seeming to reverse their path in search of something, before each specimen suddenly...halted. Paralyzed, their eyes unanimously held the sense of some kind of pain or fear, before all magical signatures left their body and their corpses tumbled to the ground, a strange black liquid leaking from their mouths.

Apparently satisfied, Rumeian soldiers near the Hellgate itself would see a tall, spindly horned figure briefly materialize, before vanishing just as quickly.

-{Aurora's Palace}-

Something...odd brushed at the edge of Aelkzytr's senses. The feeling of a massive working of Magic being performed, although...different. Most spells and attacks of such scale required-and as a result generated-vast amounts of energy, blinding waves of arcane current that could be felt for light years if powerful enough. This, however, felt...different. As though it was an...absence, at work, rather than a Presence. The tingling presence of the Domain Hellgate, and the hordes of Outsiders simply...vanished, replaced by that Absence. A strange, almost gravity-like force that seemed to pull and repulse against the reality around it. Faint, but...

Suddenly, he felt it in the room with him.
"To elaborate on my...compatriot's speech, Madam Aurora, the powers behind this undertaking have seen fit to cease hostilities, if certain conditions are met, and agreed to."
The voice was an oxymoron of melodic and monotone, weaving through the air...not telepathy, as it did not echo within the mind, but almost as though it were forced into being, not spoken, nor thought, simply...made. Turning, a towering-albeit hunched due to the ceiling constraints...entity, was in the room. Flowing silver-white silk cascaded from a chestplate and pauldrons, themselves wrought from gleaming pale metal and engraved with spiraling patterns like whorls of wood. The body beneath was invisible, save for one thin, vantablack arm perched on the hilt of a long, narrow blade-seemingly hewn from the same continuous piece of metal-itself inscribed with countless spiraling patterns as its tip slightly embedded itself in the floor. The stranger's head-or mask?-was adorned with two long horns, with smaller inward-facing prongs as they curved upwards. No mouth or face could be seen, save for two eyeholes. No eyes, nor lenses, laid within, but rather two ink-dark chasms that seemed endless in nature, as though the eyes were removed, and replaced with infinite, empty voids.

"Of course. The incursion. I have a simple solution to that." Aelkzytr's smile has no empathy behind it. He stares down Aurora with this raw, utter disdain and malevolence.
"You have bigger issues. Without us, you could deal with the incursion on your own. No, no. My goal is simple..."

Aelkzytr goes completely quiet; His smile fades and his fur stands on end. Heat radiates from his hand, slowly gaining in intensity. Something...indescribable is about to show up.
And show up, it does! The Ignisian raises his right hand towards the presence without a moment of hesitation! A bright, radiant fire rich with radioactive energy swirls in the center of his palm, a miniature sun generated from pure magic. It hasn't even been unleashed yet and the sheer heat is enough to make the room uncomfortably warm.

An...insectoid creature, is it? As soon as he hears the thing speak, he relaxes slightly. Now, he just looks pissed off.
"Give me some warning. Someone less careful would've left fried bug all over the...whatever hemisphere of the planet we're on." He mirthlessly chuckles before lowering his hand. Conspicuously, he doesn't dispel whatever spell he had prepared.

"I was going to negotiate Rumei's peace myself...but I guess it was rude of me to not wait for other people to show up, right?" The polite, friendly tone of voice would come across as sincere if the utter disdain in his eyes wasn't there.

The insectoid idly...well, with a lack of eyes its not exactly correct to say, but its visual focus moves away from Aelkzytr, although the...Absence, seems to coil briefly around the Stratarch, the sense of something massive yet liquid shifting through the space around him before the miniature sun within his palm darkens, flickers, before ultimately fading from sight. The energy not...dispelled, nor necessarily redirected. Simply...gone.

"Perhaps it is rude to go without introductions, Aelkzytr, Aurora. I am Hallow, Scion of the Pale King, who is founder of the third incarnation of...Chalice, was it? As well as God of Nothing. I am here to discuss the cessation of hostilities with all powers under the emblem of Chalice, as well as the reparation of damages done by some of our members'...less controlled maneuvers." Hallow 'said'. "I will let the Stratarch discuss his terms with you first, before submitting the alliance-wide terms."

Aelkzytr looks at his hand with...very obvious shock as soon as his spell is effortlessly dispelled. That's...certainly abnormal! He hardly expected a literal bug to pull this off.
If it wasn't for this thing calling itself a god, he probably would've immediately blasted it! As is, he gazes at the thing with a blank expression while the ground beneath his feet starts to bubble and melt.

"I see. Pardon me for not showing proper respect to a deity." Now he has that same fake smile from before; He promptly looks over to Aurora.

"What he says is correct. I'm here to negotiate peace agreements and all that. The peace for Rumei? That one's simple. I even have a recording mode on my earpiece, just to facilitate." And with a simple neural impulse, the chip in his ear starts to record all nearby audio.

"Admit to me that Rumei and the Ignasae at large are superior in every way to your race, your culture, and every aspect of your country...and I pull out all of my legionaries. If you don't, I hope you don't mind if I renovate how this city looks. I hear 'nuclear blast crater' is the hot new trend." Around him, an aura of swirling yellow and crimson flame begins to rise.

"It's not like I need people to help with it, you know."

...At Aelkzytr's threat, he feels the weight of Hallow's gaze once more return upon his shoulders. Although its difficult to discern, it would feel almost...skeptical?
Internally, Hallow was already questioning Father's mental faculties in founding this CHALICE, if member nations had lunatics such as this in positions of power. Reducing a city to a nuclear blast crater, over something so...petty, seemed like it would be below the standards of such sophisticated powers. Regardless, they did not act, yet. Their thoughts remained their own, Unspoken and immersed in the dark lake of their subconscious as their eyes returned to Aurora.

[The Dark Domain]

() is ooc

Deranis Vil sat, drumming his fingers on the arm of his throne and watching the horror before him on the screen, thousands dragged from their homes and killed or worse by the creatures unleashed by The Domain

He yawned "how much longer are we expected to stay here?"

"Until Chalice says to stop and withdraw" came Avon's reply from the slab of onyx beside him "our instructions from The Council were to cause the maximum panic and damage for the minimum effort"

"Chalice" Daranis Vil grimaced and spat "BAH"

"Yes Deranis, we all know how you feel" said the Necromancer, sighing "but taking part in this alliance allows us trading opportunities that are greatly beneficial"

The Conjurer slumped back in his throne and waved forward an underling "are we at least getting back some good captives?"

The man cleared his throat and tried to avoid his master's eyes "no My Lord, the breeding gas has driven the Horde into a frenzy and they are ignoring orders"

Deranis Vil massaged his forehead and began a muttered statement that slowly grew to a shout "we are expending this many resources and we aren't even getting ANYTHING BACK?"

"We may be able to get a nice crop of half fiends is a few ye-" Avon stopped and his image shifted to follow as he stood from his throne "What did you say?"

At the same moment a blue-robed Diviner on the other side of Deranis Vil's Sanctum called out "My Lord, Prince Hallow has appeared at the Hellgate, he is doing...something"

The Mage-Captain launched to his feet "SOMETHING!?" he bellowed "IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?!"

"My Lord, as you know our ability to scry Prin-" the blue-robed Mage was interrupted by the Evoker beside him

"Lord, we have reports from the Hellgate Nexus, there is something wrong" said the red-robed Mage, his hand on his temple

The Mage's brow furrowed with rage "SHUT DOWN THE GATE, NOW"

The Evoker shook his head "they say they are trying but something is interfering with the all spells they cast, they have requested an Abjurer of the Third Circle to cast Mage's Disjunction but-"

"THAT DAMNED VOID SPAWNED ABOMINATION" bellowed Deranis Vil marching back to his throne and gesturing, causing the gems beside the throne to leap up and swirl around him, readying his Monolith for battle "I'll-"

"You will do nothing Captain" said a voice from behind him "you will stand down and I will deal with the situation"

The Conjurer turned, apoplectic with rage "TATIANA, YOU DARE ENTER MY SANCTUM WITHOUT PERMISSION?"

The Enchantress standing there simply said "I apologise for my trespass but matters required it, this is at BEST a delicate situation that your overzealous tactics have placed us in and it must be handled carefully to avoid damaging relations with our new allies, I am empowered by The Council and THE FIGURE to deal with situations such as this"

The Mage-Captains eyes narrowed but he said nothing

"Price Hallows energies sometimes interfere with magic, I shall be using your Teleportation circle" The Enchantress gestured, muttered a word and vanished

Deranis Vil simply ground his teeth and sat, the Magi around him carefully avoided his gaze

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Short Time Later in Aurora's Palace

Tatiana appeared abruptly her hands open and held to her sides, a friendly smile on her face and a faint aura of charm radiating from her "Do please forgive me for interrupting, I am Tatiana Von Obrigo, Voice of the Dark Figure and Representative of His Domain"

She walked over and nodded to Hallow "Prince Hallow, a pleasure to see you again" she produced

To His Majesty The Pale King

The Domain apologises most profusely for the miscommunication that occurred, resulting in excessive force being deployed again civilian targets, the interference of Firefoxania's "Breeding Gas" caused a disruption in control and confusion in the command structure as to appropriate action

you may be assured that Domain articles of battle will be examined carefully to ensure this is avoided in future

that said we request that you please ensure Prince Hallow does not interfere with Domain operations in future, damage to vital Domain infrastructure was only narrowly avoided and a simple request through normal channels to cease operations would have sufficed

Warmest possible regards
Tatiana Von Obrigo
Voice of The Dark Figure
On Behalf of The Dark Figure and The Council of Magi who serve in his name
Serve, Rule or Die, Your Choice (official motto of The Domain that is placed on all official documents)

and placed it on a table beside him "for your father, could you please see he gets it?"

She moved over and nodded to Aelkzytr "Stratarch, a pleasure to meet you for the first but hopefully not last time"

The Enchantress finally turned and bowed to the Empress "Your Majesty, I am here to offer reparations and medical and rebuilding assistance in recompense for The Domain's unfortunate error, contact with your Breeding Gas caused us to lose control over our Extra-planar auxiliaries and we would like to make amends"

[Firefoxania]

At this point, Vaven has been decimated with celestial beings from other planets or even alternate universes. The death rate is almost as worse as the Holocaust. Aurora and the Capital Guard released a statement this afternoon.

Aurora, in a shaky and frightened voice...

M-My people... I fear the worst has yet to come. This war has been going on for almost a month and I worry it will continue to get worse. Don't worry. The Capital Guard and their allies are continuing to push back the resistance and rebellion forces.

CRASH! BOOM!

I have to go...

BEEP.

Vorex: There! Over the ridge!

In a stunning glow of yellow, the Capital building is surrounded in a storm of yellow lightning with roaring thunder heard all the way from the Eastern Stretch. The thunder seemed to have shot out from the clouds horizontally towards the rebel forces. The strikes of power hit a few of the transports, but the majority dodged and weaved through the shattered ground of Central Vaven.

Aurora: Of course, these efforts will not go noticed.

[Firefoxania]

October 31st, 2022. Outskirts of the Eastern Stretch.

A hooded figure loomed in the deep forest surrounding the Eastern Stretch. A small green aura followed closely behind its left shoulder. Its robes were a light shade of black, but not grey. It was a Vulpine, judging by its fur sticking out from its legs. It removed its hood, showing a grey-furred Vulpine, who, in Firefoxania, was dubbed "The Warlock."

The Warlock, in Swahili: Inukeni, watumishi wangu wa Wafu. Kwa maana hivi karibuni tutachukua tena Uchawi ambao hapo awali ulikuwa wetu! (Rise, my servants of the Dead. For soon we shall retake the Magic that was once ours!)

Out of the ground, several hands surged up in a jolt, digging themselves out of the ground. Some of the hands didn't even have fur... let alone... skin. Skeletons and Zompine, Zombified Vulpine, rose from the ground in a resurrection of reanimation. They marched towards the ruins of the wall, climbing over it in unorganized clumps.

The Warlock: This is the time when the Magic will be restored...

[Firefoxania]

https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=526758&p=40135751#p40135751 Part II